Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #142866 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-10
• Released on: 2003-09-16
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Vanity Fair and Nation contributor Hitchens passionately defends a great writer from attacks by both right and left, though he also refutes those fans who proclaim his sainthood. George Orwell (1903-1950), a socialist who abhorred all forms of totalitarianism, was, as Hitchens points out, prescient about the "three great subjects of the twentieth century:" imperialism, fascism, and Stalinism. In all things, Orwell's feelings were every bit as visceral as intellectual, and Hitchens devotes some of his best writing to describing Orwell's first-hand experiences with empire in Burma. It was there that he learned to hate racism, bullying and exploitation of the lower classes. "Orwell can be read," notes Hitchens, "as one of the founders of... post-colonialism." Orwell's insights about fascism and Stalinism crystallized in Spain, while he was fighting in the Civil War. Hitchens offers an excellent analysis of the writer's women, both real (his wives) and fictional, to show that the feminist critique of Orwell (that he didn't like strong, brainy women) may be unfair, though Hitchens also points out what feminists have ignored: Orwell's "revulsion for birth control and abortion." Hitchens brilliantly marshals his deep knowledge of Orwell's work. Fans of Orwell will enjoy Hitchens's learned and convincing defense, while those unfamiliar with Orwell may perhaps be induced to return to the source. (Oct.) Forecast: Hitchens has made a splash with recent books (Letters to a Young Contrarian and The Trial of Henry Kissinger). Basic is banking on similar success with a 30,000 first printing.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Far from being an ordinary biography, this small volume is an in-depth investigation of the essential George Orwell-"the heart on fire and the brain on ice." Hitchens recognizes that Orwell was more than the author of 1984 and Animal Farm. He was a keen critic of Nazism and Stalinism and didn't soften his pictures of them to sell books. His analysis of the grave inequities of those two forms of government is sufficiently acute to apply to the early 21st century's political spectrum. While claiming that Orwell "requires extricating from a pile of saccharine tablets and moist hankies [as] an object of sickly veneration and sentimental over-praise," Hitchens, a columnist for Vanity Fair and the Nation, asserts that in contrast to his many contemporaries who wrote about the era's political issues (e.g., Louis MacNeice, Stephen Spender, and Cecil Day Lewis), "it [is] possible to reprint every single letter, book review and essay composed by Orwell without exposing him to any embarrassment"-a remarkable feat, indeed. The only problem with this study is that it assumes that the reader already knows that Orwell conscientiously overcame his early anti-intellectualism, his dislike of the "dark" people of the English Empire, and his squeamishness about homosexuality-all to become a great humanist. Thus, it is written for readers who have already done their homework. Recommended for large libraries with extensive political science holdings.
Charles C. Nash, Cottey Coll., Nevada, MO
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
George Orwell is one of those rare writers who are both artistic and fluent in world events and politics. His shrewd, indelible novels are continually read and discussed all around the world, but Orwell, uncompromising and independent to the point of penury, didn't reach this pinnacle without adversity or controversy. Hitchens, an author and columnist for the Nation and Vanity Fair, whose combativeness and peppery eloquence are backed by wide-ranging erudition, reasserts Orwell's significance in this impassioned yet pinpoint assessment of the man, his writings, and their reception, which has been by turns sloppily negative or excessively positive. Hitchens dissects in fresh and insightful detail the "extraordinary salience" and ongoing relevance (hence the term Orwellian) of Orwell's complex subjects--imperialism, fascism, Stalinism, nuclear weapons, environmentalism--and parses the prescience that inspired Orwell to invent the expression cold war and foresee many of the global conflicts we're currently experiencing. Moving neatly from political commentary to literary criticism and biography, Hitchens clarifies all that Orwell accomplished and, by extension, affirms literature's unique and essential powers. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A Defense and Appreciation of Orwell
I am a huge fan of George Orwell. I consider him one of the handful of great writers of the twentieth century. His novel, 1984, remains one of my favorites and no one can deny its influence on our culture. Additionally, he wrote a number of wonderful memoirs and essays which retain an incredible impact and currency even up to seventy years later. It is nice to see a critic of the stature of Mr. Hitchens also has an admiration for Orwell.

In this slim volume, Mr. Hitchens analyzes various aspects of Orwell's work and its relationship to ideas that still resonate: imperialism, the left, the right, America, feminism, post-modernism, etc. No one will deny that Orwell had weaknesses as a writer. There is a generally tone of pessimism that runs through his work. He could take unfair potshots at people in his essays and he often struggled to create vibrant characters in his fiction, especially females. Mr. Hitchens acknowledges his weakness but is pointed about countering unfair criticism and makes the excellent point that Orwell always struggled to overcome his own prejudices. Unlike many of us, Orwell recognized his prejudices and was constantly trying to beat them down. Perhaps this is why much of his writing remains so relevant: he was generally very balanced in his opinions and cut through the crap to the truth as he saw it. He rarely gave anyone a pass. Which also may be why so many people like to criticize Orwell: everyone got pierced by him at some point.

If there are weakness in Hitchens' book, two stand out. First, Mr. Hitchens shares the smugness of a person who revels in his own intellect and he doesn't hide it in his prose. Like Harold Bloom, Hitchens can be irritating to read but he always leaves you with something worth thinking about. The second is not a criticism per se, but a warning: to get a lot out of this book you should be familiar with a large cross-section of Orwell's writing. Having read 1984 and, maybe, Animal Farm is not enough. I have read a lot of Orwell's stuff and there were still references and critics with which I was not familiar. Still, for anyone interested in Orwell, this is a valuable book.

Hitchen's overly erudite style makes t his short book dificult for the non-Orwell specialist to enjoy
George Orwell (real name: Eric Blair) took his pseudonym from the English nation's Saint George and a British river. He died young at 47 due to the TB disease he could not conquer. Orwell is an important writer as we face the already bloody twenty-first century. Call Mr. Orwell a prophet of our dystopia world of Darfar, terrorism and North Korea. Orwell is used as a text in many scholastic settings. Orwell is best known for "1984" and "Animal Farm. The latter is a satire of the evils of communism while 1984 paints a grim future of Big Brother and Mind Controlling goverment.
This book is not a biography but an exteneded essay divided into short chapters. Hitchens gives kudos to Orwell for being an opponent of fascism, communism and the imperialism he saw first hand while serving as a Police Officer in Burma. This anti-imperialistic view led to his fine novel "Burmese Days." Orwell broadcast on the BBC. penned excellent short stories and several novels which are now forgotten by the general public.
Hitchens has a keen mind and is very knowledgable on Orwell. The problem is that he assumes a prior knowledge of Orwell's works. This is a book for scholars and not the general reader. I have read several of Hitchens works but this one was not my favorite!

If you admire Orwell, read this book...
I admire Orwell, so I read the book. It presupposes a familiarity with the man and his oeuvre, so if you've never read a word by Orwell, this book may not be a good starting gate. The author, Christopher Hitchens, admires Orwell, too, and has a distinctive--dare I say quintessentially English--droll style. If you know Hitchens, you know what to expect: no hero-worship, no nonsense, and no pulled polemical punches against the hapless folks who nip at Orwell's heels for some perceived heresy or another. (One quibble with Hitchens: he includes Burmese Days as part of Orwell's inferior juvenilia...I think, after an admittedly shaky start, Burmese Days is outstanding, and does not deserve such comparative obloquy.)

No human being is above reproach, but Orwell definitely does have an overwhelming aura of decency about him...notwithstanding his distaste for fags, feminists, and what would be called "hippies" back then. (The group he hated most, however, would probably be rentier capitalists...of which I'm one!) The politically incorrect Orwell is thoroughly examined by Hitchens, who adduces reasons why he feels Orwell came to hold such views, and why they do not vitiate his mainstream moral and ethical legacy.

This decency--along with his vast literary ability and remarkable prescience--makes the man an attractive and relevant historical figure today...one who has added his nom de plume to the English lexicon as an adjective, and whose name and works will be remembered and discussed long after his critics have been utterly forgotten.